Recommended Posts

Hi,

I have been displayed my version of the Battle of Hoth at shows in Ireland over the last few years. It's mostly using models from sets, but each time I try to add some new custom details. For the latest incarnation, I've added the medical lab, complete with Luke thawing out...

18910276126_02fa942bc2_z.jpg

Echo Base Medical Lab by James Shields, on Flickr

18936522815_6e011b0a41_z.jpgEcho Base Medical Lab by James Shields, on Flickr

This shot shows the complete model:

18750338739_0ba56fe4b2_z.jpg

Echo Base Medical Lab by James Shields, on Flickr

Here's a view from around the back. showing how it's held together:

18939429701_b76b46cb74_z.jpg

Echo Base Medical Lab by James Shields, on Flickr

Here's the rebellion's newest recruit:

18910275656_b641720a58_z.jpg

Echo Base Medical Lab by James Shields, on Flickr

The lighting is a set of 50 LED lights powered by 3 AA cells. It set me back €3 in my local discount store.

In addition to the medical lab, here is the latest version of the command centre. I've tried to do this a couple of times, but never really felt I captured the atmosphere of the movie. I think there's still room for improvement, but I'm much happier with the latest version, below:

18811515520_e2914d37cb_z.jpg

Echo Base Command Centre by James Shields, on Flickr

18813018179_272f7133de_z.jpg

Echo Base Command Centre by James Shields, on Flickr

18999223555_fd35a4033b_z.jpg

Echo Base Command Centre by James Shields, on Flickr

This is on display in Athy in Ireland tomorrow. I'll post photos of the whole display soon.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi,

So I never got around to posting...

My plan is to construct the rebel hanger as a series of connecting modules. The interiors I posted earlier are part of the first one, here:

18930423970_23485c0e43.jpg

The Snowspeeder hangers are under the medical lab and command centre. Here's a close up of one:

18930425030_df0a149337.jpg

Here's the front view of the whole module:

18497499613_3e7886d418.jpg

The scaffolding to access the upper level is not from the movie, and is only a temporary feature.

This is the first of several to accommodate all the snowspeeders, with more parts of the rebel base upstairs.

More to follow...

James

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Last weekend I was working on the second module of the Echo Base hanger, and I aimed to fix some the things I wasn't completely happy with in the first module.

Here's an early WIP shot:

20029803642_2e1ab38541.jpg

The only thing holding the front wall up was my hand out of shot!

This time I wanted to incorporate lighting under the floor, and especially the floodlights that were lining the hanger in the movie. It cheap €3 set of LED lights from a discount store seemed good for the job, especially as each LED neatly fits in a Technic hole.

I wanted the front wall sloping inwards, like in the movie, but I wasn't going to construct it entirely from slopes, so I found an alternative solution of attaching the wall with clips. The inner walls of the base also slope inwards and are connected to the front wall by Technic pins.

20259446321_369acacd93.jpg

The same thing from a slightly different angle:

19630957614_2d94694838.jpg

Here are the first and second modules side by side. I plan to rebuild the first one to match the second.

20260260392_1fc779f05d.jpg

Finally, I built a copy of the Rebel personnel transporter, as designed by Louise Dade:

19676398863_0ef65b9f96.jpg

James

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Looks great! I love the idea of this. The lights are executed perfectly, and make the model so much better. The sloping wall is just the icing on the cake. Details like that make models great. The dioramas above are amazing too. Keep up the great work!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks Guy!

I came across the light sets in a discount store and thought they were worth trying. I feel slightly bad using a non-LEGO solution, but there was no way I could afford to put enough power function lighting in. The sets are slightly tricky to use as there's about 10cm (4") between lights, so some planning of the route they take around the model is needed. But they fit neatly in a Technic hole, so work well.

I'm pleased with the floor lighting, though it does require building the raised floor. I suspect I'm going to regret this when I get to building the floor of the main hanger to house the Millennium Falcon, which will require six 48x48 baseplates.

The whole project is likely to take me a few years.

James

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

A quick addition tonight...

20138793928_a1505f5c5a.jpg

This is work in progress on the service gantry that appears in the background in the hanger of Echo Base. I had the gun barrel pieces in mind for the legs for a while, and when I combined them with Technic angled axle connectors, it came together very naturally. I still have to add ladders and hand rails, and some other details, but I like the direction it's going.

Now I'd better get on with it or health and safety will have a field day...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Cheers, Guy,

The gantry will go in front of the x-wing bay, which will be a similar module to the snowspeeder bays, but with a larger bay.

James

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I first took part in a collaborative Hoth display around 2005, and there have been several incarnations of it over the years. Usually these involved arriving with a big box of white bricks and building the front wall of Echo base in-situ, and breaking it down after. It was only last year I decided to build it as a permanent MOC, in sections to allow it to travel between displays. It was always going to be a long term project.

Generally, I'l spend an hour or two on a section at a time. Often there will be test builds, to try something out, find it doesn't quite work the way I want, so it will be dismantled to try something else. Once I find a design I like, I'll often have to wait to order parts to complete it. The gantry was a surprise. I picked up a bag of the gun barrel pieces and a bag of the angled Technic connectors, and wondered if they'd go together, and less than an hour later I had the gantry above. I still need to get the right flex hose pieces to give it a handrail.

So, many hours tinkering, but generally only a couple at a time.

Hope this answers your question.

James

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It did. Obviously it's many hours over a period of time.

I'm struggling to even find time to build one set.

I've got a 10 month old who doesn't sleep. So I'm never sitting down.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ah, well I can see that would make things tricky... priority 1: baby, priority 2: sleep, priority 3: LEGO...

At least you can start Duplo in a few months.

James

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I wasn't happy with the last photo, so here's a better one. Echo Base Service gantry, now with handrails. I tried a bunch of different options to get the double handrail, but wasn't satisfied with any of them, until t realised you can slide flex house through the hole in the side of the "evil robot" arms.

19758202483_48e36d7af7_z.jpg

James

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am very bad at deciding a project is finished. There's always something that can be improved! I will keep posting progress, but there may never be a "final" version.

James

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This looks really nice and I'm really excited to see how this compares to the one TLG will be releasing

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah, I'm interested to see what the UCS Hoth set is like. I doubt they can do anything on this scale, but hopefully it will contain some interesting ideas and parts, and force me to up my game. :-)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

A couple of test builds for the Hoth base to share today...

First, I've been trying out motorised doors. I suspect this is very basic stuff for Technic builders, but an area I only venture into occasionally.

20461958892_7365990648_z.jpg

I have a series of axles running the length of the blast doors. Under the middle, a set of gears reverse the direction the axle turns, so if the left half turns clockwise, the right will turn anticlockwise. A series of worm gears are spaced along the axles to move a gear rack on each door. It works well in small scale, so I have to scale it up now.

20444460036_e3020061b6_z.jpg

The second test is for the ice walls at the front of the base. The first version of this was just built out of bricks, but I want something a little better, so I'm looking at slopes.

19848045484_738bf8c46f_z.jpg

The technique uses sections of 1x2 and 1x3 slopes, connected with hinges to give a greater variety of angles. I'm pleased with it so far, but it's going to need a lot of white slopes.

20444461336_be641da4c4_z.jpg

James

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.